Who is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection "Interpreter of Maladies"?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests knowledge of award winning Indian diaspora literature. "Interpreter of Maladies" is a collection of short stories that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and brought its author international recognition. Many exams refer to such major prizes, so knowing which author created this work is a common requirement.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The title "Interpreter of Maladies" is provided.
• Options include Jhumpa Lahiri, Amish Tripathi, Ravinder Singh and Salman Rushdie.
• Only one of these authors wrote the collection.

Concept / Approach:
Jhumpa Lahiri is an Indian American writer whose debut collection "Interpreter of Maladies" focuses on immigrants and relationships. Amish Tripathi is a mythological novelist, Ravinder Singh writes romantic fiction, and Salman Rushdie writes complex literary novels. Recognising that a Pulitzer Prize winning collection about the Indian diaspora belongs to Jhumpa Lahiri makes the choice clear.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that "Interpreter of Maladies" is a short story collection focusing on Indian and Indian American characters and their emotional lives. Step 2: Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for this collection, making her name closely associated with it. Step 3: Amish Tripathi writes long mythological novels and has not produced a Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection with this title. Step 4: Ravinder Singh focuses on Indian romance novels and has no connection with this work. Step 5: Salman Rushdie is a major novelist, but his famous books have different titles such as "Midnight's Children". Step 6: Therefore, Jhumpa Lahiri is the correct author.

Verification / Alternative check:
Library catalogues and prize archives explicitly list Jhumpa Lahiri as the author of "Interpreter of Maladies". The Pulitzer Prize website itself credits her with this work. Reviews and critical essays repeatedly connect her name and this title, while the other three authors are mentioned only in different contexts.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Amish Tripathi is wrong because his best known books include the Shiva trilogy, not this collection.
• Ravinder Singh is wrong because he writes commercial romantic fiction, and his titles are different.
• Salman Rushdie is wrong because although he is an acclaimed author, he did not write "Interpreter of Maladies".

Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is assuming that any serious sounding title belongs to Salman Rushdie or another very famous literary figure, without checking the specific work. Another is confusing Jhumpa Lahiri with other Indian English authors because of similar themes. Remembering that "Interpreter of Maladies" is Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer winning debut collection will help you avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
The short story collection "Interpreter of Maladies" was written by Jhumpa Lahiri.